Chapter 10
The sun had dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the Red River Ranch as the last of the guests who didn't live there headed home.
Paper lanterns swayed from the porch rafters, glowing like fireflies in twilight.
The scent of grilled meat and sweet corn still hung in the air, mingling with laughter that had only recently faded.
It had been a long afternoon—one Shylo had enjoyed, despite the circumstances that brought her there. Through quiet conversations, she’d learned more about Shane, his family, and the ranch. And for a few brief moments, she almost wished she belonged.
But she didn’t.
And she probably never would.
Needing to keep busy, she gathered empty soda cans and paper plates before discarding them into the right bins—recyclables and garbage.
The ache in her chest had nothing to do with exertion and everything to do with what she'd witnessed—real family.
Genuine connections. She saw it in Tucker slinging an arm over Paige's shoulder, in the way Shane cheerfully offered to refill everyone’s drinks, and in how people gravitated toward the trio with friendly smiles and open affection.
No cold silences, resentments simmering under the surface, or bitterness.
The Wilsons and their employees were one big happy family, related or not.
Shylo couldn’t remember ever feeling anything like what she saw at the ranch.
Her mother had done everything she could to give Shylo a happy childhood, but Troy had a way of poisoning almost every good memory they tried to make.
There were no neighborhood barbecues with friends or family game nights like the ones she'd heard Paige and Arianna reminiscing about earlier.
“You really don’t have to keep cleaning.” Seth approached with a grin and a half-full trash bag clutched in one hand. “First-timers are guests and exempt from doing any dirty work.”
“I don’t mind.” She tossed a crumpled napkin into his bag. “It gives me something to do with my hands.”
His smile softened as he crouched to pick up a forgotten toy truck in the grass. “You always need to keep them busy?”
She shrugged. “You know what they say—idle hands and all that.”
He chuckled. “Yup.”
They worked in comfortable silence for several minutes, gathering stray cups and beer bottles.
Nearby, Paige and Nicole carried the last of the leftovers inside, while Shane and Tucker scrubbed the grills and rinsed out the now-empty chili pot.
A few of the ranch hands folded the chairs and tables, hauling them to a nearby storage shed.
The air had cooled, and someone started a fire in the pit, sending orange light dancing across the yard.
Seth turned to her. “Want to sit for a while? Enjoy the fire?”
As much as she didn’t want the evening—or her time with him—to end, she knew she needed to walk away. She couldn’t afford to forget why she was there. Liking these people, feeling as if she belonged—it would only make things worse when the truth came out. When they realized who she really was.
“I’d love to, but I should probably get back to the motel. It’s been a long few days, and I’m kinda beat.”
She caught the hint of disappointment on his face—and before she could stop herself, the words tumbled out. “Rain check, though?”
“Sure. Come on,” he said, nodding toward the gravel drive. “I’ll walk you to your truck.”
She hesitated, glancing toward the house where the porch light turned on. Paige stepped onto the porch carrying Ashley, now dressed in pajamas, and Shane crossed the yard to steal a kiss from his daughter before bedtime. It was a sweet scene that almost made Shylo melt.
Feeling as if she were being watched, she looked over her shoulder. Tucker leaned against a post, arms folded, his eyes narrowed as he studied her. She couldn’t read his expression, but something in it made her chest tighten.
Trying not to show that the man’s scrutiny unnerved her, she followed Seth toward the driveway.
They walked past the corral, where the horses were silent and still as the night fell. Crickets chirped from the tall grass, and the occasional low moo of a cow echoed in the distance.
“You’re quiet,” Seth said. “Everything okay?”
Shylo gave a humorless laugh. “Uh... yeah. I’m fine. Just taking it all in. Your bosses, their family and friends, and the ranch... it’s a lot.”
“Yup, it is. But it’s a good kind.”
When they reached her truck, she turned to thank him, but he lifted his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb brushing her cheek with surprising gentleness.
Her breath caught. No one had touched her like that in a long time—as if she mattered. Like she might even belong.
But she couldn't let herself believe that. Not yet. Maybe never.
“You’re hard to read,” he said, his voice low and husky.
She blinked, surprised by his honesty. “Is that a complaint?”
“Not sure yet.” A faint grin played at the edges of his mouth. “Just means I keep thinking about you more than I probably should.”
For a second, she couldn't move. Warning bells rang in her mind while butterflies fluttered in her stomach. He was too close, too attentive, and too sincere—and damn it, she liked all of that way too much.
She ducked her head for a moment before looking back up at him. “Careful. I might start thinking about you more than I should too.”
And that was the truth. In fact, she already had.
The air stretched between them, thick with possibility—everything unsaid lingering like smoke between two people too scared to fan the flame.
But she couldn’t afford to want this. Not here. Not now.
When she took a step back, he dropped his hand. “Goodnight, Shylo.”
She nodded and whispered, “Goodnight, Seth.”
He shoved his hands into his pockets as though stopping himself from reaching for her again. She climbed into the truck, closed the door, and started the engine. If she didn’t leave right then, she might beg him to go with her.
With a final wave, she put the truck into Drive and gently pressed the accelerator.
Seth stood at the edge of the driveway for a few long seconds after Shylo’s taillights disappeared into the dark.
Dust kicked up by her tires still hung in the cool night air.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck, then turned and sauntered back toward the fire pit, his boots crunching over dry grass.
The fire was going strong now, logs crackling and sending little bursts of sparks up into the sky.
A circle of Adirondack chairs surrounded the pit, most of them occupied by a few of the ranch hands, beers in hand, voices low with post-barbecue contentment.
Laughter flared now and then, along with the occasional pop-hiss of a bottle cap being twisted off.
Seth didn’t join in their conversations.
Instead, he dropped into an empty chair and stretched his legs out, hands resting on his stomach as he stared into the flames.
He could still hear Shylo’s voice—soft, uncertain—when she told him she was tired. She meant it. But there’d been something else in the way she said, “Rain check?” The uncertainty in her voice struck him. It was as if she’d grown used to believing that every good thing came with an expiration date.
Something about her tugged at him, and it wasn’t just the obvious.
Yeah, she was gorgeous—but it was more than that.
There was a weight she carried, something quiet and buried, that felt familiar.
The kind of pain you didn't put into words unless you trusted the person listening not to flinch. Unless you knew they’d stay.
Seth didn’t realize how long he had been lost in thought until someone sat on the chair next to him, causing it to creak.
Saying nothing, Tucker leaned back with a cold beer in hand, eyes fixed on the fire as though he were reading something in the flames that no one else could see.
After a beat, Seth glanced over. “Didn’t expect you to join us.”
Tucker gave a shrug and a faint smirk but didn’t look his way.
They sat in silence, the firelight dancing across the familiar lines of the ranch. Someone made a joke on the other side of the pit, and a few of the hands roared with laughter. Seth didn’t catch the words.
Finally, Tucker nodded toward the drive. “That woman. Shylo.”
Seth blinked, then turned his head. “What about her?”
“Is she your next conquest?”
He huffed a breath, unsurprised. His love-’em-and-leave-’em reputation was well-earned, but for some reason, he didn’t like anyone referring to Shylo that way—his next conquest. “It’s not like that.
Yeah, I want her—who wouldn’t? But it’s more than that.
Just talking to her... it makes me want things I’ve never really thought about before. She’s different. Not my usual type.”
“I noticed.” Tucker paused for a few seconds, then asked, “What do you know about her?”
Seth’s brow furrowed. “Not much. She’s from West Virginia and recently lost her mom to cancer. At first, she said she was just passing through Hazard, but then she took the job at Bar None.” He glanced sideways. “Why?”
The other man didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a sip of his beer, his jaw tight.
That hesitation made something twist in Seth’s gut. “You’ve got that look. The one that says your brain is thinking too much, and not about anything good.”
Tuck gave a dry snort but said nothing.
Turning in his chair to face him, Seth narrowed his eyes. “You don’t trust her.”
“You know me. I don’t like strangers—though you were an exception when we met at the rodeo. Even then, my trust had to be earned, and that’s not easy.”
That was true. Tuck hadn’t even liked Paige when she first came to work for them, but the woman who was now his and Shane’s wife had eventually won him over.
Tuck exhaled through his nose, still staring straight ahead.
“Look. I don’t know. There’s just... something off about her.
She seems skittish. I heard her talking to a few of the women earlier.
She threw out a lot of questions, was really interested in the ranch and us—I mean, Shane, Paige, and me—and when they asked about her, she kept her answers vague. ”
Seth leaned back again. “The questions were probably out of curiosity. It’s not every day you meet a throuple, and she said she’s never been on a ranch before.
As for her being vague, maybe she’s just guarded.
Maybe there’s something or someone in her past that she’s running from.
That’s not unusual, but it doesn’t mean she’s trouble. ”
His boss looked at him, his expression unreadable in the glow. “No—but sometimes trouble follows people. Look what happened with Grant, Drake, and Blair.”
Seth knew exactly what he meant. Grant Hadley's past had nearly cost him everything when someone he thought he’d never see again resurfaced and threatened the family he'd built with Drake and Blair. They'd survived it, but only barely.
As his gaze drifted back to the fire, Seth gave a slow nod.
“Or maybe she’s not in trouble at all. Maybe she’s just...
lost. From what she told me, after her mother died, there was no reason for her to stay in her hometown—no siblings, no other family, no boyfriend or close friends.
Maybe it was too hard to stay with her mom gone. ”
“Fair enough. But I don’t think she’s being completely honest about why she’s in Hazard.
Just... be careful, Seth. I saw the way you were looking at her—and it wasn’t like how you usually look at women.
You said she’s different, and that’s uncharted territory for you. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
He didn’t respond. Part of him wanted to defend her, to push back. But another part—the part that had survived by learning to trust instincts—couldn't shake the warning.
Tuck stood, brushing his palm against his jeans. “Then again, I could be one hundred percent wrong.”
As his boss strode toward the main house, Seth didn’t move. He stared into the fire, watching a log split down the middle, glowing from within.
He didn’t have answers. Not about Shylo. Not about whether everything she’d told him was the truth.
But none of that changed one simple fact.
Somehow, she'd already gotten under his skin.
Whether that meant trouble or something far more dangerous, he had a feeling he wasn't walking away.